Winter Wonderland home makeover holiday surprise for Florida National Guard member

Florida Power and Light and the Florida National Guard joined forces to deliver a surprising home makeover to a veteran.

Volunteers from both groups worked to transform a Port Charlotte home into an energy-efficient Winter Wonderland adorned with thousands of LED lights and solar-powered decor.

Pamela Johnson, an Army staff sergeant in the Florida National Guard, came home to lights illuminating palm trees, lining the roof and strung over the driveway.

In her uniform, Johnson pulled up to her house, which turned into a Winter wonderland. Johnson’s 5-year-old son Casey was just as shocked as his mother.

“My heart is like so warm right now. This is incredible,” said Johnson.

FPL “elves” worked all day to make it happen. Many people were nominated in Southwest Florida, but FPL says Johnson’s name bubbled to the top.

“She just really stood out as a superhero that we need to recognize,” said Jennifer Huber, an FPL senior community relations specialist.

Johnson is an active member of the Florida National Guard. When she’s not working, she is the primary caregiver for Casey, who has faced some medical challenges this year. Casey, a dinosaur enthusiast, was given some thoughtful gifts. As for Johnson, she got a $1,000 gift card to Home Depot.

“I love how special it was for him … I don’t quite know yet what to do with the gift card. It’s such a big gift,” said Johnson.

This is FPL’s 16th year thanking local heroes, veterans and healthcare professionals with some much-deserved holiday cheer.

A spokesperson told WINK News it’s a small way of saying thank you, but Johnson explained it took a weight off her shoulders and would bring extra cheer during the holiday season.

To keep everything a surprise, Johnson’s coworker took her phone and deleted the Ring Doorbell App. Later, Johnson was reminded to re-download the app.